LONG-DURATION, FULLY AUTONOMOUS OPERATION OF ROTORCRAFT UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS INCLUDING ENERGY REPLENISHMENT

• US 20200130864A1
• Filed: 10/29/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Brockers, Roland, Weiss, Stephan Michael, Malyuta, Danylo, Brommer, Christian, Hentzen, Daniel Robert
• Granted Patent: US 11,866,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/40 for agriculture or forestry operations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/97 Means for guiding the UAV to a specific location on the platform, e.g. platform structures preventing landing off-centre
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/30 : with arrangements for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 : characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 : specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/227 : Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A method and system provide the ability to autonomously operate an unmanned aerial system (UAS) over long durations of time. The UAS vehicle autonomously takes off from a take-off landing-charging station and autonomously executes a mission. The mission includes data acquisition instructions in a defined observation area. Upon mission completion, the UAS autonomously travels to a target landing-charging station and performs an autonomous precision landing on the target landing-charging station. The UAS autonomously re-charges via the target landing-charging station. Once re-charged, the UAS is ready to execute a next sortie. When landed, the UAS autonomously transmits mission data to the landing-charging station for in situ or cloud-based data processing.

Claims

1. A method for autonomously operating an unmanned aerial system (UAS), comprising:

(a) the UAS autonomously taking off from a take-off landing-charging station;

(b) the UAS autonomously executing a mission;

(c) the UAS autonomously travelling to a target landing-charging station;

(d) the UAS autonomously precision landing on the target landing-charging station;

(e) the UAS autonomously re-charging via the target landing-charging station, wherein once re-charged, the UAS is ready to execute a next sortie; and

when landed, the UAS autonomously transmitting mission data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the taking off comprises:

validating motor nominal performance of the UAS prior to take-off; and

storing a current location of the UAS on the take-off landing-charging station to a database in permanent memory, wherein the current location provides knowledge of where to return after the mission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mission further comprises data acquisition instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mission is updated by onboard autonomy software based on decisions made using mission data acquired during flight.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the take-off landing-charging station is the target landing-charging station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the target landing-charging station is a different landing-charging station than the take-off landing-charging station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the precision landing is based on a vehicle pose estimation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the precision landing is based on a control method that rejects external disturbances.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating steps (a)-(f) without any human intervention.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the UAS autonomously monitoring a system health.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that an in-flight emergency has occurred and either returning to the take-off landing-charging station or performing an emergency landing dependent upon conditions of the in-flight emergency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the UAS comprises:

onboard navigation sensors; and

software for executing onboard autonomy.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the take-off landing-charging station and the target landing-charging station comprise:

a physical station comprising hardware for energy replenishment and localization aids for the precision landing; and

energy storage to replenish energy to the UAS.

14. An unmanned aerial system (UAS) comprising:

(a) a take-off landing-charging station and a target landing-charging station; and

(b) a UAS vehicle comprising;

(i) one or more rotors for operating the UAS vehicle aerially;

(ii) a processor;

(iii) software executed by the processor for conducting onboard autonomy on the UAS vehicle, wherein the software causes the UAS vehicle to;

(A) autonomously take off from the take-off landing-charging station;

(B) autonomously execute a mission;

(C) autonomously travel to a target landing-charging station;

(D) autonomously precision land on the target landing-charging station;

(E) autonomously re-charge via the target landing-charging station, wherein once re-charged, the UAS vehicle is ready to execute a next sortie; and

(F) autonomously transmit mission data.

15. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the autonomous take off comprises:

validating motor nominal performance of the UAS prior to take-off; and

storing a current location of the UAS on the take-off landing-charging station to a database in permanent memory, wherein the current location provides knowledge of where to return after the mission.

16. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the mission further comprises data acquisition instructions.

17. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the mission is updated by an onboard autonomy software based on decisions made using mission data acquired during flight.

18. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the take-off landing-charging station is the target landing-charging station.

19. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the take-off landing-charging station is different than the target landing-charging station.

20. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the autonomous precision landing is based on a vehicle pose estimation.

21. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the autonomous precision landing is based on a control method that rejects external disturbances.

22. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the processor causes the UAS vehicle to repeat steps (A)-(F) without any human intervention.

23. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the software further causes the UAS vehicle to autonomously monitor a system health of the UAS.

24. The UAS of claim 23, wherein the software further causes the UAS vehicle to determine that an in-flight emergency has occurred and either returning to the take-off landing-charging station or performing an emergency landing dependent upon conditions of the in-flight emergency.

25. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the UAS vehicle comprises:

onboard navigation sensors.

26. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the take-off landing-charging station and the target landing-charging station comprise:

a physical station comprising hardware for energy replenishment and localization aids for the precision landing; and

energy storage to replenish energy to the UAS.

27. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the take-off landing-charging station and the target landing-charging station comprise:

a physical station comprising a weather shelter and weather monitoring sensors for delaying flight operations in adverse conditions

28. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the UAS vehicle performs precision landing inside a weather shelter using GPS-denied navigation methods.